Friday Finish - International Pandas

Cute, aren't they?

Fujieda Wisteria Festival

Last weekend, I took the train to Fujieda to attend the Wisteria Festival. The festival is held at Rengejiike Park, which is a long walk from the train station. The sky was overcast, but I think that kept the temperature cooler. The park has a lake surrounded by a walkway and a lot of flowers.  For the festival, there were vendors and entertainment. Giant fish flags were flying in honor of Boys Day Festival which is May 5th.

People of all ages were out enjoying the flowers and the weather.

The park is quite large.

Wisteria was everywhere. It is the Wisteria Festival after all.

There were plenty of places to stop and take a break or eat lunch.

I see these rough stone walks sometimes in Japan. You take off your shoes and endure the pain of the stones sticking up. I have done it before and already know it hurts, so I didn't do it at the festival.

The festival continues through May 5th.

There was a pedal boat rental place that was doing big business. I like the panda boat best.

There was also musical entertainment.

Even sports teams have Daruma!

I enjoyed my time at the festival.  If I lived in Fujieda, I would spend time at this park often.

Work In Progress Wednesday

New Start - Japanese cross stitch design #2. There are 72 designs in the book and I am stitching them in order.  These are 1 and 2 (in progress).

Candlewicking progress

International Pandas progress

Spring Bride progress

Japan's Summer Olympic Games Uniforms

With about three months until the summer olympics in Paris, Japan unveiled their official uniforms. According to the clothing maker Asics Corp., "the bright red tops are inspired by the French capital's sunrises, while the use of recycled materials contributed to a 34 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions in their manufacture, compared to those for the Tokyo Olympics three years ago." 

This post shows the 2020 uniforms.

Monday Morning Star Count - 19 Rows

I have nineteen rows of twelve connected.  I plan to add one more row of twelve. 

I need to make a backing and plan to piece some of the fabrics in this basket.  

In addition, I need to make many many individual hexagons for the flip edging. This is just a start.

Osaka's Silent Cafe

 

I recently read about a unique cafe in Osaka that does not allow any talking or music. The Shojo Cafe is run by employees who are deaf or hard of hearing. It gives customers the opportunity to enjoy peace and quiet, but also the silence enables customers to experience the employees perspective. Guests are asked not to talk, but are encouraged to use sign language, written notes, or pointing at the menu. 

In addition to the cafe, after hours Shojo offers hour-long sign language classes. Classes cost 2,000 yen per person and include a cup of matcha. The cafe is open daily from 11 am to 6 pm at 1-10-13 Nakazaki Nishi Kita in Osaka.

Sign As You Leave The Park

From here on, take care.

Friday Finish - Some Litte Felt Finishes

 Felt bird ornament and heart pin

Two felt needlebooks and scissor fobs

Hebigu-Jinja Shrine

This was an interesting shrine, but it looked a little lonely and neglected. I'm sure it will be spruced up in time for the next local festival.

After my lonely little tour, it was back to the unstaffed train station.